Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was involved in a motorcycle accident around 11:30am

Living in Browns’ country every browns fan has come up to me with a half grin on their face asking if I’ve heard the news…
Of course that was before the exact details came out…

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review* is reporting: “Roethlisberger lost most of his teeth, fractured his left sinus cavity bone, suffered a nine-inch laceration to the back of his head and a broken jaw, and severely injured both of his knees when he hit the ground, police said. A plastic surgeon has been summoned.”

UPDATE: BTW, I read on a sports forum that had linked to my post, that another Steeler had reported that the surgery was specifically for the broken jaw and was expected to heal enough for him to play early in the season. The Steeler was un-named. So take that for what it is worth.

From KDKA:
“Witnesses tell KDKA he was not wearing a helmet and appeared to have head and facial injuries.”

From me:
PA is NOT the state to be riding in without a helmet. The road conditions (repair + gravel) not to mention the curves and hills just add too many variables. That’s even before you start thinking about the cars pulling out in front of you… Nebraska, that’s a different story. Plus no helmet on the 10th street bridge??? That’s just plain stupid. The buses in Pittsburgh deliberately (almost) try to take out motorcylclists. They assume you don’t need the whole lane and that they can take the right hand turns wide and swing their tails into the next lane over. The DO NOT do that when there are cars there or they would take out the passenger side door and window.

And can you imagine the poor people from Maine that go on vacation and take out the QB that won the last superbowl???

Predictions:
The lid law in PA will come under intense scrutiny but remain as is.
Riders in the NFL and other professional sports will come under an intense scrutiny (AKA the Cleveland Brown’s Kellen Winslow times 10) and some bylaw will be passed preventing riding without a helmet.
That law will provoke do gooders accross the country to revisit state helmet law legislation. Should be a fun year.

More from KDKA PITTSBURGH: Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is
in “serious, but stable condition” at Mercy Hospital after a motorcycle accident this morning. According to Dr. Larry Jones, the head of trauma at Mercy, Roethlisberger is in the operating room undergoing surgery for his injuries. In a brief statement, Dr. Jones told reporters Roethlisberger was coherent and talking with doctors before he was taken into the operating room.

Eyewitnesses tell KDKA that Roethlisberger had a green light and was headed eastbound on Second Avenue when a car turned into his path near the 10th Street Bridge around 11:30am. Witnesses say Roethlisberger flew over the handlebars of the motorcycle and struck his head on the windshield of the car. According to witnesses, Roethlisberger was not wearing a helmet and appeared to have head and facial injuries. The witness tells KDKA he said his name was Ben and he seemed groggy.

Pittsburgh Police Lieutenant Kevin Kraus says city police are investigating the accident — as they do any accident involving critical injuries. The driver of the car — which had Maine license plates — left the scene with police officers. At this point, it’s not clear if any charges will be filed.

* On a side note, it seems that the Greensburg Tribune Review has moved up in the world!